The Colors of Elio 3-7-14

That is a question commonly discussed whether we’re standing around the Elio at a Preview Tour stop or with a group of Future Eliowners. At first glance it seems like a simple question. Seven colors… just pick one, right? Evidently. it is not as easy as it seems. On tour we constantly hear “I am torn between x and y (fill in your own x and y)” or “I love the Licorice, but that Creamsicle looks awesome!” or “I always buy blue cars, but Sour Apple is calling me”. Yep, decisions decisions! We have a simple, fun solution for you – buy one color for each day! Seven days – seven colors – easy fix!

Did you ever wonder how we came up with the magnificent seven colors of Elio: True Blue, Marshmallow, Red Hot, Rocket Silver, Sour Apple, Licorice and Creamsicle? We could regale you with a long drawn out story of market research and 20 hour meetings with color experts, but we won’t. The simple fact is that many people have done the research for all of us. Because people buy vehicles every day we know what colors you will buy and why! For us it came down to two main reasons for the Elio color selections:

Our seven colors represent over 94% of all vehicle sales in North American (even higher for the world) over the last couple of years.

One of our four musts, $6,800. Having seven colors and two transmissions means that we will make only 14 total vehicles. Aftermarket options are available, after sale, so that we can create thousands of configurations on 14 core vehicles. Less base combinations (14), less costs, better inventory control, lower cost to you. It is that simple.

The color of vehicle you choose also speaks to the person that you are* (and probably too much if you read it all!).

Do you like Marshmallow (white) like 23% of North Americans? You may be fresh, young and modern. Tech oriented, elegant and honest are also associated with Marshmallow. Or it may be more functional or even a matter of survival – those of you in the sunny states know what we are talking about!

What about Licorice (black, 19%)? Words like sophistication, luxury and royalty are tossed around when speaking of black. Silver/Gray , or Rocket Silver, as we call it? Upscale, classy and a good color for those who don’t want the heat of black or the cleaning of white. You could be the “go-getter/look at me” type with the Red Hot or the stable person in True Blue. How about the nature lover/Eco-minded driver of a green (Sour Apple) vehicle? There should be a lot of people who choose Creamsicle (orange) for their Elio – that stands for being comfortable with value and saving money!

Regardless of your color choice we believe all of the words describe the Elio and our future owners!

OK, let’s have some fun with this. Everyone is aware of March Madness right? March Madness has turned into a national holiday of sorts and it really is the best way to crown a champion. We are going to do our own version of March Madness: The Elio Tournament of Colors. Here is how it is going to work:

Each week for the next four weeks we will have polls pitting one color against another. We will use normal bracket style match-ups with seeding and home court advantage. The biggest difference is that you will help choose the winners. Each week we will eliminate the color with the fewest votes and the winners will then move on to face another color. (So, you don’t have to watch a 12 seed ruin your entire bracket!). You can help decide the outcome each week!

We already have the top seven colors that will get a blind draw for seeding, but we need an 8th seed. So lets pick the color for the 8th seed this week. Now this doesn’t mean that we are adding the 8th seed color to the Elio lineup. This is for fun and games and to balance out the bracket. The winner of this week’s poll goes up against the number 1 seed next week. Again, regardless of the outcome, we will not be adding this color as an option or standard color. Who knows, maybe this will help you choose your own color!